Food Truck Phenomenon

[*NikkiBell*]

I was listening to the recent "snack foods" segment on the show today and heard the discussion about food trucks. I have to admit, when I hear the term "food truck," I automatically think of the trucks one would see at a local state fair or carnival. It wasn't until I spent time in California outside of Disneyland that I realized how big this phenomenon really is and have frequented a few over the past two summers.

The food is actually gourmet, not snackish or poorly made. This is really becoming a huge trend in different parts of the country. The best way to learn of the trucks and where they are is through social media - Facebook, Twitter, etc. Some areas even have special events where dozens of trucks line up so you can nosh from truck to truck. I've visited an event in Burbank twice where this is the case.

My favorite so far is the Grilled Cheese Truck:

This is the cheesy mac & rib melt. Mmm....

Smore melt with Nutella.

I visited the Lobsta Truck in August:

I think that the food truck trend is just starting to hit other states after Food Network's show last year. It's a pretty neat thing. Has anyone else had experiences with the trucks?

 

[sayhello]

Food trucks are really big in Columbus, also. There are tours of the Food trucks, Food truck festivals, etc. Quite the phenomenon.

Sayhello

 

[wdwscout]

I really haven't seen (or sought out) these trucks yet- although they do seem like fun!
I still think of what I see regularly- the street trucks in Philadelphia and NYC. Some of them have great food- but it's not the "gourmet" type that is all the rage these days. Just the corner trucks that have always been around- they are still there!

I did see they have Food Truck Fridays monthly in Celebration! More to look forward to!!!

 

[Maria1985]

Everything tastes great.

 

[mytripsandraces]

Food trucks have been big in NYC for a few years now. My favorites are the Big Gay Ice Cream truck (Salty Pimp is my favorite) and Wafels & Dinges (liege waffle with speculoos spread is my favorite).

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Food trucks have been big in NYC for a few years now. My favorites are the Big Gay Ice Cream truck (Salty Pimp is my favorite) and Wafels & Dinges (liege waffle with speculoos spread is my favorite).

Wafels is one of my favorites, too!

 

[OKW Lover]

We saw a bunch of food trucks in DC this past summer when we visited the Smithsonian.

We also so some in Orlando when we did the Ferris' Funky Bunch walk around Lake Eola last month.

 

[lilmrsellis]

Food trucks have been big in NYC for a few years now. My favorites are the Big Gay Ice Cream truck (Salty Pimp is my favorite) and Wafels & Dinges (liege waffle with speculoos spread is my favorite).

Saw Wafels and Dinges on Throwdown with Bobby Flay about 3 years ago! Not sure why I felt the need to share, lol.

I live in a small town in WV, even though it is the second biggest in the state. We don't have a single food truck, but owning one has been my dream for 3 years now. Ever since the dirt episode of The Great Food Truck Race.

 

[lilmrsellis]

First, not dirt, hahaha!

 

[LionKingRules84]

Food trucks are becoming huge in Philly as well. There is one that stops a few blocks from me it's a brick oven pizza truck that makes, of course, brick oven pizza! I've been wanting to try it but they usually come around here for lunch twice a week and it's on days I don't have time for lunch. From what I hear it's the best pizza here and the truck is a sight to see. If I manage to get there at some point I'll take a photo.

There is also a desert truck that sells Creme brulee and macaroons I've been wanting to try.

There is also a cupcake truck that stops a block or two from where the pizza truck stops that I still need to try as well.

My biggest problem is the schedules these trucks have don't seem to meet with mine or I would have tried them by now.

 

[christygobar]

Here in Dallas as well. The city let them come in over a year ago and they've exploded. They don't come to my part of town frequently by my work, but we always keep an eye out on the schedule for the good ones. There's probably 20+ trucks around the city now. We have a good grilled cheese one and also one with brats and various sliders that are great!

We have a local magazine that constantly keeps up the weekly schedules online and almost all of the trucks have an active FB page too.

 

[SA mom]

Food Trucks are gaining in popularity in San Antonio, also. We have several places set up for the trucks to gather downtown. It was sort of a controversy at first because they city had done so much work to clean up the downtown area of the trashy, not-so-clean food carts and unlicensed food vendors. The city set up places for the trucks to park and added some picnic tables.

One outlying town set up a similar food truck "park" that has become the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights. You can even buy beer there.

Food trucks also park near all the colleges and universities. There is one called Winner Winner Chicken Dinner that serves some amazing fried breast recipes and a fried quacamole. Yum!

 

[FireDancer]

We have a pretty good food truck scene in Cleveland too. I think a lot of people would be surprised at the restaurant scene in general here. We have neighborhoods that can keep their own with any city in the country. There has been a real push for small, locally owned restaurants here over the last decade that replaced the chain-restaurant mentality that used to be rampant.

One of the benefits of the trucks is being able to get real food at temporary events like fundraisers or street fairs where in the past you'd only be able to get the standard, deep-fried crap and hotdogs.

 

[freesone]

We had some cannolis from the Cape Cod Cannoli truck last Friday in Mashpee on Cape Cod. Best cannolis ever......


2012-11-23_13-53-49_461 by freestwo, on Flickr